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June 28, 2017

Our Little Laundry Room | Creative Tips for Organizing

When we built our home, we had to make some sacrifices. Thankfully, none of these sacrifices even come to mind anymore, so I guess we made the right choices. One of the big ones was squeezing in a laundry room upstairs. To make this happen, we had to forgo a large walk-in closet in our master bedroom. Instead of a walk-in closet we have french door his and hers closets, which we love. Win, win.

This space, at 6ft wide x 6ft deep, is small, but works very hard. There wasn't room for a washtub or sink, but there is one across the hall that I can easily use if something needs an extra soak. I didn't want to install upper cabinets because I thought it might close in the space and make it feel cramped. Instead, we opted for open shelves with basket storage that peek through the glass lite doors, which makes this little nook in our upstairs hallway feel charming.

You'll notice there is not a lot of color or clutter - both probably do not surprise you. I think the secret in this space to being clutter-free is that I don't have very much stuff, only what I need. I also do not buy things that are brightly colored or have obnoxious packaging. The items that are bright (like OxiClean) go in my Clear Bottles. I only have to refill them about every 6 months, so it is not a hassle and so worth it for the clean aesthetic that I have in here.

I love the warmth that the baskets bring to what could seem like a cold utilitarian space.

I use the pegs for hanging clothes to dry, either just as they are or on hangers, if needed. I've also thought about hanging a tote bag on the pegs to keep single socks and other items that seem to turn up in here.

The pegs also hold up the ironing board (that usually gets carried into the guest room for ironing, but will also fit in here in a pinch).

If I have a lot of ironing to do (hardly ever), I really enjoy spending time in our soft blue guest room (tour here) that is right next door to the laundry - not a bad spot for chores.

Here is what I keep in our laundry room. I haven't needed anything else in here in two years, so I guess I have everything I need. I can't say it enough, the secret to staying organized is having less stuff : ) I will not claim that this space always looks this tidy, but it is easily put back together after a busy day of laundry. Also, when clothes come out of the dryer they get dumped on the guest bed for folding, so that helps keep things from piling up.

After seeing these Scalloped Lined Basket from Ballard in Tessa's office, I had to find a place for them in our home. I bought two sets and am using 1 small + 2 medium here in the laundry room. They are holding extra pillow inserts, out of season items and extra bed linens. In the hallway, we have a linen closet that houses cleaning supplies, paper towels, suitcases, etc. and linen hutch to store our pillow covers (you know I have a lot of those!), towels and blankets.

In the center basket I keep a stack of dryer sheets (that I take out of the box because I find it ugly and cumbersome), a container for change, my Laundry Bottles (set of 3 for $14), and a lint roller. I moved the scissors to the next basket over, along with a steamer and sewing kit. Those are less used items, so I put them in a different basket to keep this one organized.

To the right of the door, I keep a hamper. And YES, sometimes it is overflowing and not quite as tidy looking. I have a few laundry tips I'll share soon, too, that help me keep on top of it.

Notice how the pegs wrap all the way around the room - one of my favorite touches. If I have something I don't want to look at that needs to hang dry, I can hang it on these pegs and it is out of view from the hallway. For instance, this summer our swimsuits are all hanging in this area.

I'll post the DIY for the Pegs in just a bit. They are so easy to make. Emma and I made them without Mike's help - they take an hour, tops.